naturalize

American  

[nach-er-uh-lahyz, nach-ruh-] / ˈnætʃ ər əˌlaɪz, ˈnætʃ rə- /

especially British, naturalise

verb (used with object)

naturalized, naturalizing

1. to confer upon (an alien) the rights and privileges of a citizen.

2. to introduce (organisms) into a region and cause them to flourish as if native.

3. to introduce or adopt (foreign practices, words, etc.) into a country or into general use.

   to naturalize a French phrase.

4. to bring into conformity with nature.

5. to regard or explain as natural rather than supernatural.

   to naturalize miracles.

6. to adapt or accustom to a place or to new surroundings.

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verb (used without object)

naturalized, naturalizing

1. to become naturalized.

2. to adapt as if native to a new environment, set of circumstances, etc.

3. to study or carry on research in natural history.

naturalize British  

/ -tʃərə-, ˈnætʃrəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to give citizenship to (a person of foreign birth)

2. to be or cause to be adopted in another place, as a word, custom, etc

3. (tr) to introduce (a plant or animal from another region) and cause it to adapt to local conditions

4. (intr) (of a plant or animal) to adapt successfully to a foreign environment and spread there

5. (tr) to explain (something unusual) with reference to nature, excluding the supernatural

6. (tr) to make natural or more lifelike

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naturalize Scientific  

/ năch′ər-ə-līz′ /

1. To establish a nonnative species in a region where it is able to reproduce successfully and live alongside native species in the wild. Naturalized species may be introduced intentionally or unintentionally. Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia but have become naturalized in many other parts of the world.

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Other Word Forms

• naturalization noun
• naturalizer noun
• unnaturalize verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of naturalize

First recorded in 1585–95; natural + -ize

Explanation

To naturalize is to make someone a citizen of a country or to adapt to living in a new place or enviroment. Naturalizing has several meanings that are all variations on the idea of becoming native. When an immigrant is naturalized, they become a full citizen of a country. Other types of naturalizing also involve foreign people or things fitting in. A foreign term — like adios — is naturalized because many English-only speakers use it. When something or someone is naturalized, they've learned to live and fit in somewhere new. They now fit in naturally.

Example Sentences

Nearly a dozen of my cousins left their native-born countries to come to the U.S. and eventually naturalize.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 4, 2025

She applied to naturalize as soon as she became eligible, she said, because she wanted to vote in November.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2024

The fee to naturalize would have risen from $640 to $1,160 for online applications, with an additional $10 for a paper application.

From Washington Times • Jan. 3, 2023

Many more permanent residents in such battleground states are likely to naturalize in coming years.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2023

The social and technological process by which we establish facts becomes invisible to us because we naturalize it.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• familiarize